Toe finishing machine for lasts



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Feb. 21, 1956 H, G. CLAUSING 2,735,460

TOE FINISHING MACHINE FOR LASTS Filed Nov. 18, 1954 INVENTOR. l/enry 6.Clausz'rz TQE FINISHING MACHINE FOR LASTS Henry G. Clausing, Portsmouth,Ohio, assignor to Vulcan Corporation, Portsmouth, Ohio, a corporation ofGhio Application November 18, 1954, Serial No. 469,593

4 Claims. (Cl. 144-134) The present invention relates to a device forfinishing the toe sole portions of shoe lasts after the last turningoperation, whereby the toe finishing of lasts may be accomplishedefliciently and accurately and without the use of the usual work holdersor clamps which require time to set and release them.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine which will increasethe production of finished shoe lasts by reason of two cooperating lastguide means against which the lasts may be manipulated relative to acutter to remove lathe dog stubs from the toe sole portions of thelasts, and at the same time obtain a precision finish for said toe soleportions.

Another object of the invention is to provide an extremely simplemachine that may be readily adjusted to accommodate it for operation onall sizes and styles of shoe lasts, said machine utilizing a single setof cutter blades for the purpose.

The operation of the machine will be made clear by the description ofits use in making shoe lasts. Wood blocks from which these lasts aremade will be turned in a suitable lathe to a finished contour with theexception of that portion of the toe sole which will contain the toe dogstub and that portion of the heel back that will have the heel dog stubthereon. For the purpose of this specification it will be assumed thatthe last will have been formed to the approximate contour describedhereinbefore and that a finishing operation is to be performed on thetoe sole portion of the last.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmental, top plan view of my finishing machine.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental, front elevational view of the machineillustrated in Fig. 1, some parts being shown in section, and

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 5 designates a table that supportsall the instrumentalities of the machine, said table having suitablelegs 6-6. An electric motor 7 is supported above the table at aconvenient height upon a standard 8 secured by bolts 9 to the undersideof the motor housing and by bolts 10 to the table 5. The motor shaft 11has a rotary cutter head 12 fixed concentrically thereto by a nut 13 inthe usual manner. The head carries a plurality of cutter blades 14detachably secured thereto by any suitable means, the cutting edges ofthe blades being concave in plan and each blade set at a raking anglewith respect to the axis of the cutter head. The details of the cutterhead are known in the art and are not therefore specifically set forthherein, it being only important to this invention that the blades be setat a raking angle in the head and their cutting edges have a circularconcave formation in plan.

Two adjustable guides generally referred to herein as a last toe guide15 and a last heel guide 16 cooperate to locate the last 17 in positionwith respect to the revolving blades 14 of the cutter to finish the toesole portion of said last. The last toe guide 15 is mounted in nitedStates Patent close proximity to an end of the cutter head and comprisesa plate 18 supported for both vertical and horizontal adjustment uponthe table by means of a standard 19. This standard has a base 20 fixedby bolts 21 to the table, said base having a vertical dovetail key way22 therein for slidably receiving a dovetail shaped arm 23 dependingfrom and integral with a horizontal platform 24. The arm has a verticalslot 25 formed therethrough for receiving a set screw 26 threaded in atapped bore 27 in the base. The platform has a lateral key way 28 formedtherein which receives a key 29 formed in a block 30, said block havinga horizontal hole 31 formed therethrough at right angles to the key 29for slidably receiving a shaft 32 whose threaded end passes through ahole 33 formed through the plate 18 and cooperates with a nut 34 forsecuring the plate against a shoulder 35 formed on the shaft. As bestshown in Fig. 3 the plate has a clearance opening 36 therethrough forreceiving the nut 13 and shaft 11 of the cutter head, the forward toeengaging end 37 of the plate being circular and having a slightly largerradius than the cutting edges of the cutter blades 14. The shaft isadjusted on the block by a set screw 38 threaded in the block andbearing at its inner end against said shaft. The block is secured inadjusted positions on the platform by a set screw 39 threaded in theunderside of the platform and bearing at its inner end against the key29 of the block.

The last heel guide 16 is shown as having a base plate 40 provided witha longitudinal slot 41 for receiving a set screw 42 threaded in thetable 5. A vertical post 43 is fixed at its lower end 44 to the baseplate 40 and slidably receives a last heel engaging block 45, the upperend of said post passing through a vertical hole 46 formed in saidblock. A set screw 47 threaded in the block and bearing against the postholds the block in adjusted positions on the post. A pair of verticallyspaced apart pins 48--48 are anchored in the block and project therefromin divergent directions from each other to provide a saddle means forthe last in which it may be held for rotation around a longitudinalaxis. As indi cated in Fig. l the heel dog stub 49 of last 17 to beoperated upon by the machine is inserted between the pins, it beingunderstood that these stubs have the same thickness throughout allstyles and sizes of lasts. The short distance between the bases of thepins 48--48 is made equal to the thickness of these lathe dog stubs ofthe last heel part to the end that the stub will be snugly received bythe pins when the last is manually inserted in the machine in the mannerindicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. As the lathe dog stub is narrowerthan the heel portion of the last the pins act as a rear limit stop forthe last so that upon inward movement of the toe portion of the lastfrom the said dotted line position the lathe dog stub 50 on the sole ofthe last toe portion will be engaged by the revolving cutter blades 14and be turned therefrom.

The cutter blades will turn away the stub 50 to a depth determined bythe setting of the plate 18, it being noted that the concave formationof the cutter edges of the blades determines the longitudinal curvatureof the sole toe portion of the last. The lateral curvature of the toeportions for all sizes and styles of shoe lasts is formed on the machinewith one set of cutter blades by manually rotating these lasts aroundtheir longitudinal axes with the toes of the lasts held against theplate 18 and the heels thereof engaged between the pins. 4848; thedivergent positions of the pins permitting such rotation to an extentdetermined by the amount of divergence between the outer ends of thepins.

With reference to Fig. 1 it is to be noted that the concave shapes ofthe cutting edges for the blades 14 produce the longitudinal curvatureof the toe sole portion for the last 17. This sole also has a lateralcurvature which is formed in the last by the combined functions of thetwo last guides 15 and 16. As has been said the saddle means 4848 on theheel guide 16 provides a rocking movement for the last aroundalongitudinal axis determined by the heel part stub positioned in thesaddle, whilst the circular edge 37 on the guide 15 permits the toeportion of the last to rock thereon with respect to the revolving blades14 to control the depth of cut so that it is flush with the finishedportion of the toe sole surface. As the sole line between the upper toesurface and the toe sole surface is finished in the previous lastturning step the last is revolved in the sad dle just far enough ineither direction to bring the surface forrned by the cutter flush withthe finished surface on the toe sole portion.

Adjustment 42 for the base plate 41) of the last heel guide 16 providesa means for accommodating the machine for operation on all styles andsizes of lasts Whilst adjustment 47 between the block 45 and post 43 ofthe guide provides settings for left and right lasts. Fine adjustment ofdepth of cut for various styles and sizes of lasts is obtained for theplate 18 by the vertical and horizontal slides provided in the standard19.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for finishing the toe sole portions of shoe lasts, arotary cutter, a series of longitudinally extending blades mounted onthe cutter in oblique planes with respect to the cutter axis, each ofsaid blades having a concave cutting edge to provide for thelongitudinal curvature ofthe last toe sole portion, a last toe guideplate mounted in close proximity to one end of the rotary cutter anddisposed in a plane normal to the cutter axis, said plate having acircular edge substantially concentric with the cutter for rollingengagement with a laterally extending intermediate portion of the lasttoe sole surface, and an outwardly divergent saddle means mounted at adistance from the guide plate for receiving the last dog stub of theheel part to secure rocking movement of the last around its longitudinalaxis.

2. In a machine for finishing the toe sole portions of shoe lasts, arotary cutter, a series of longitudinally extending blades mounted onthe cutter in oblique planes with respect to the cutter axis, each ofsaid blades having a concave cutting edge to provide for thelongitudinal curvature of the last toe sole portion, a guide platemounted in close proximity to one end of the rotary cutter and disposedin a plane normal to the cutter axis, said plate having a circular edgesubstantially concentric with the cutter for rolling engagement with alaterally extending intermediate portion of the last toe sole surface, alast heel guide mounted in a longitudinally spaced apart position withrespect to the cutter and having a pair of fixed pins for receiving theheel dog stub of the last, said pins diverging outwardly from each otherto form a saddle means permitting rocking movement of the last around alongitudinal axis.

3. In a machine for finishing the toe sole portions of shoe lasts, abase, a rotary cutter mounted upon the base for rotation around ahorizontal axis, longitudinally extending blades mounted on the cutterin oblique planes with respect to the cutter axis, each of said bladeshaving a concave cutting edge to provide for longitudinal curvature ofthe toe sole portion of the last, a last toe guide plate mounted uponthe base in close proximity to one end of the rotary cutter andpositioned thereon in a plane normal to the cutter axis, said platehaving a circular last engaging edge substantially concentric with thecutter, a last heel guide block mounted upon the base in alongitudinally spaced apart position with respect to the cutter andsubstantially on the same level therewith, a pair of fixed pins anchoredin the block for receiving the heel dog stub of the last, said pinsdiverging outwardly from the block to form a saddle means permittingrocking movement of the last around a longitudinal axis and providingrolling engagement of a laterally extending intermediate portion of thelast toe portion with the circular edge of the guide plate.

4. In a machine for finishing the toe sole portions of shoe lasts, abase, a rotary cutter mounted upon the base for rotation around ahorizontal axis, longitudinally extending blades mounted on the cutterin oblique planes with respect to the cutter axis, each of said bladeshaving a concave cutting edge to provide for longitudinal curvature ofthe toe sole portion of the last, a last toe guide plate mounted uponthe base in close proximity to one end of the rotary cutter andpositioned thereon in a plane normal to the cutter axis, said platehaving a circular last engaging edge substantially concentric with thecutter, means for mounting the guide plate on the base for planaradjustment thereon, a last heel guide block mounted for vertical andlateral adjustment upon the base in a longitudinally spaced apartposition with respect to the cutter and substantially on the same leveltherewith, a pair of fixed pins anchored in the block for receiving theheel dog stub of the last, said pins diverging outwardly from the blockto form a saddle means permitting rocking movement of the last around alongitudinal axis and providing rolling engagement of a laterallyextending intermediate portion of the last toe portion with the circularedge of the guide plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,269,273 Foster June 11, 1918 1,402,533 Olson Jan. 3, 1922 FOREIGNPATENTS 15,699 Great Britain July 8, 1913 736,596 France Sept. 20, 1932966,723 France Mar. 8, 1950

